Electrolytic condenser



1? LE G.

Oct. 27, 192

FORTEISCUE ELECTROLYTIC CONDENSER Filed June 1'7, 1920 xillll l lll I II! Illill M W a a L ILlllllllllllZllll.lrllllllllllll INVENTOR WITNESSES:

Char/es L56 fEr/sc 06.

ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 27, 1 925. v

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES G. FOBTESCUE, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, LSSIGNOB '10 WEST- INGHOUSE ELECTRIC & IANDFAOTUBING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENN SYLV'ANIA.

ELECTROLYTIC conimnsna.

Application filed June 17, 1920. Serial No. 889,595.

To alZwhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES LE G. FoR'rEsoU'E, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Penn-- st-ruction for cells of the character indielements of filmin cated which shall present a large surface area to the action of the electrolyte of the cell in roportion to the volume occupied by the electrode and in which each electrode shall be composed of a single sheet of filming material.

More specifically, one object of my invention is to provide an electrode for electrolytic cells of the above described character which shall be composed of a plurality of material arranged in substantially paral el and spaced relation and connected at their ends by portions integral with the said elements.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and rapid method of constructing electrodes of the character described whereby the time expended and the material wasted are considerably reduced.

With such objects in view, as well as other advantages which may be incident to the application of the improvement, the invention consists in the parts and combinations thereof hereinafter set forth and claimed.

with the understanding that the several necessary elements constituting the same may be varied in proportions and arrangements without departing from the nature and scope of the invention. \a

In order to make the invention more clearly understood, I have shown in th e ac companying drawings means for carrying the same into practical effect, without limiting the improvements, in their useful applications, to the particular construction which,

for the purpose of explanation, has been made the subject of illustration.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a view of a sheet of filming material to be formed into an electrode in ac-.

cordance with my invention and provided with transverse and longitudinal slits separating the areas of the plate which are broughtinto parallel and spaced relation.

Fig. is a top plan view of a formed electrode, llustrating the arrangement of the filming elements or plates in spaced arallel relation and the relative lengths an thick ness of the constituent parts.

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the structure shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view thereof. Fig. 5 is a top plan view, partly in section and partly in elevation, illustrating a method of securing together a pair of electrodes in o erative position by. means of bolts and insu ating spacing members.

Fig. 6 is an edge View of an insulating and spacing member or washer.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the member shown in Fig. 6. p v

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view, on a small scale, of a modification of my invention, wherein a sheet is so cut as to form a plurality of rows of. relatively closely spaced filming elements.

Fig. 9 is a front elevational view of anelectrode formed from a sheet cut as illustrated in Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a side elevational view of the electrode shown in Fig. 9, and

Fig. 11 is a top plan view of two electrodes so arranged that the filming elements or plates of each are in juxtaposition.

Electrolytic cells of the kind to which my invention relates are composed of a considerable number of electrodes arranged in spaced parallel relation, the alternate electrodes being connected in two sets of opposite polarity and all of the electrodes being composed of aluminum, magnesium, tantalum or other suitable material upon which asymmetric conducting films may beproduced andmaintained when the electrodes are immersed in a suitable electrolyte and subjected to an electric potential.

It is important that each electrode shall present as large a surface area as is possible ends and communicating therewith. The

sheet is then bent parallel to the transverse slits to bring the areas of the p at between the transverse slits into spaced parallel relation. The resulting structure consists of a series of platesof filmform1ng material united at their ends by means of inte ral portions of double the thickness of the use plate and projecting from a substantially continuous fiat base member, thus 'forming a rigid and compact structure of 131%: surface area.

e process outlined above is lllustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawduring the operation of slitting the sheet.

. lhe portions The sheet 1 is then subjected .to the action of a suitable die which imparts to itthe form s'hownjn Figs. 2 to 4. The action of the die is such as to transversely bend the sheet along the broken lines 5 in Fig. 1 and to cause the relatively narrow portions 6 of the sheet to be contiguously aligned in one plane, thus forming a flat, unbroken base member.

defined by the transverse and longitudinal slits 2 and 3, respectively, are, at the same time, forced away from the sheet 1 into a position substantially at right angles to the base member and in substantially parallel spaced relation to each other.

During the process of bending the sheet transversely to align the portions 6 in a single plane, portions of the edges of the sheet are also bent upon themselves in the opposite direction, indicated by the broken, lines 8 in Fig. 1, to intersect the elliptical apertures 4 alon their major axes, thereby forming relatively short end portions 9 of double thickness having substantially semicircular notches 10 .at the lines of the fold.

Fig. 5 illustrates a pair of electrodes, constructed as above set forth, assembledin operative position in the following described manner:

Electrodes, as above described and of opposite polarities indicated at A and B, are so arranged that the plate members 7 project alternately between each other .of filming material having a plurality of in spaced parallel relation. Bolts 11, covered with a suitable insulating material 12, are disposed alo the edges of the electrodes in the note cs 10 and carry a plurality of insulating spacing and clamping co members in the form of washers 13 which are 'so arranged as to engage the relatively short end portions 9 of the filming elements 7 and bind them securely together. The washers 13 are preferably formed with one side offset, as indicated at 14. (Figs. 6 and 7;) This construction is desirable because it permits the washers to abut-or engage eachother at one side, and at the same time, provides a recess to accommodate the edge of an end portion 9 of the film-forming element to effect a uniform pressure throughout.

In Figs. 8, 9 and 10, is shown a modification of my invention wherein a plate is so slitted, as at 2- and 3, as to 'form a plurality of rows of filming.elements 7 Also, the formed electrodes may be positioned as illustrated in Fig. 11, with theextremities of the plate members in juxtaposition, in whichevent the individual electrodes may be formed with their plate .members relatively close together and preferably supported by separate bolts 11' connected at their ends by means of cross plates 15.

I claim as my invention:

1. A structure for electrolytic condensers and the like comprising a pair of electrodes of filming material having a plurality of filming elements extending therefrom and so connected at their ends that the elements of one electrode project between the elements of the other.

- 2. A structure for electrolytic condensers and the like comprising a pair of electrodes film-forming elements extending therefrom in substantially parallel spaced relation.

said elements having relatively short end. portions and relatively long intermediate port-ions, said electrodes being so arranged that the intermediate portions of the elements project between the corresponding portions of the elements of the other and means, including bolts and spacing members, for connecting the electrodes in an operative position. i

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 14th day of June,

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- CHARLES LE G. FORTESCUE. 

